What's in a name!
by Geet SHREYAholic
Summary: Whatever is your name, doesn't matter until you get to know that your life is in danger because of you having a particular name! investigation based, Shreya centric, two shots!
1. Chapter 1

**What's in a name!**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Shreya fitted the earphone into her ears and moved out for jogging. She crossed the main gate of the society running leisurely. Suddenly she was pulled back forcedly by someone's grip on her arm._

 _Shreya was literally shaken by this sudden unexpected incident. She looked up at the person in consternation. It was the watchmen on duty; gawking at Shreya holding her hand. Shreya freed her hand with a jerk and removed the earphones. She was amazed because it was not the regular man, it was someone else._

"Ye kya badtameeji hai? Kaun ho tum?" _Shreya yelped losing her temper._

 _He was smiling stupidly at her._

"Madam maine good morning bola aapko, aapne jawab nahi diya. Hum chote log hain lekin iska matlab ye to nahi ki aap bade log humari good morning ka bhi jawab na de."

 _Shreya was enraged by his impudent reply_. "Lekin ye kaun sa tareeka hai good morning bolne ka? Tumhari himmat kaise hui mera hath pakadne ki? Aur tum ho kaun han, Shankar kaha hai?"

"Aap chilla kyun rahi hain madam? Ladkiyon ko aawaj aur aankhe dono neeche rakh kar hi baate karni chahiye. Aap bhi jara aram se baat kariye na!" _He spoke with an unpleasant look causing Shreya's teeth set on edge._

 _She shook her head,_ "Oh! Warning de rahe ho mujhe ya advice han?"

 _Meanwhile the secretary of the society reached there seeing Shreya quarreling noisily._

"Kya ho gaya Shreya ji?"

 _Shreya turned to him,_ "Kaun hai ye badtameej aadmi han? What is he doing here?"

"Arey ye Prabhakar hai, Shankar ki jegah duty pe hai. Day shify ki duty hai iski." _He said turning to the new watchmen_ , "Madam ke sath badtameeji ki tumne, maafi mango turant!"

"Mujhe maafi nahi chahiye, aap abhi turant ise naukri se nikaliye." _Shreya shouted._

"Arey, nahi Shreya ji, main samjhata hu na ise, next time se aisa kabhi naha hoga. Aur waise bhi bas 7 dino ke liye hi rakha hai ise. Shankar ke wapas aane tak." _He said and turned to Prabhakar_ , "Tujhe sunai nahi diya. Ghoor kya raha hai. Maafi maang Shreya ji se. Cid inspector hain wo. Tameej se reh warna jail me daal dengi samjha!"

 _He looked at Shreya with a smirk._ "Maaf keejiye Shreya ji. Galti ho gayi!"

"Fine!" _Shreya said gritting her teeth. She began to move when she heard him saying._

"Waise naam achha laga aapka!"

 _Shreya gave him a fierce look and stormed off._

 _She reached bureau in a bad mood caused by the morning incident._

"Hi Shreya!" _Purvi said._

"Hi!" _Shreya said trying to smile anyway._

"Kya hua sab theek hai na?" _Purvi asked finding her disturbed._

"Han han, sab theek hai." _Shreya said smiling._

"Tum humare naye officer se mili?" _Purvi said with a grin._

"Nahi, abhi nahi!"

 _Same time Sachin and Nikhil entered with the new recruit. A young man with tall and slender physique. He was holding a cup of coffee and chatting with Sachin and Nikhil._

"Good morning Rishi!" _Purvi said waving towards him._

"Good morning!" _He said smiling and moved to Purvi and Shreya._

"Shreya wanted to meet you!" _Purvi said._

 _Shreya nudged her. Rishi looked at Shreya._

"Shreya, naam to bahut achha hai aapka. Nice to meet you!" _He said forwarding the same hand holding the coffee and accidentally poured the hot coffee on Shreya's hand._

"Aahhh...aahhh!" _Shreya started screaming holding her hand._

 _Rishi was staring at Shreya as if enjoying to see her in pain._

 _Same time Daya entered and found Shreya screaming. He ran to her and held her hand._ "Shreya, kya hua ye!"

 _Purvi glared at Rishi_. "Sir wo Shreya ka hath jal gaya."

"Rishi se coffee gir gayi." _Nikhil told._

 _Daya shot an angry look at Rishi,_ "Tumse ek coffee nahi sambhal rahi cid officer kisne banaya tumko?"

 _Rishi smirked instead of saying sorry to Shreya._

"Galti se ho gaya sir. Shukar hai coffee jyada garam nahi thi." _He said glancing at Shreya and moved from there._

 _Daya frowned but he was gone._ "Nikhil, jara ice lana."

 _Shreya looked at Daya holding her hand in concern. She found Sachin and Purvi grinning mischievously._

 _Shreya gently freed her hand._ "It's ok sir. Main theek hu."

"Han but take care han!" _Daya said and moved from there looking briefly into her eyes._

"Usne sorry bhi nahi bola. Such a cheap man!" _Purvi said feeling disgusted._

 _Nikhil smirked,_ "Han abhi pata chala ki cheap hai. Kal to sab bada impress ho rahe the inspector Rishi se."

 _Purvi became angry,_ "I was never impressed. Actually kal tak to theek tha but abhi mujhe bahut gussa aa raha hai uspe. I am not going to talk to him."

 _Shreya was lost in her thoughts._

"Aaj ye ho kya raha hai mere sath. Pata nahi kiska muh dekh liya subeh subeh. "

 _Meanwhile the landline rang. Sachin received the call. He got an information about a murder._

 _A team of cid reached at the spot consisting Daya, Shreya, Sachin and Nikhil._

 _A young girl was murdered by cutting the neck with a fine toothed hand saw._

"Sir khooni ne ek hand saw hi kyun use kiya? Aur yahi chod kar chala gaya?" _Shreya asked doubtfully._

 _Daya wore his gloves and grabbed the weapon._ "Hmm...ye to kisi bhi simple tool box me ho sakta hai. Jaise ki...

"Kisi plumber ke paas!" _Shreya added._

 _Daya looked at her_ , "Right! Shayad khooni plumber ban kar ghar me ghusa hoga."

"Ya phir shayad wo professionally ek plumber hi ho!" _Shreya shared her opinion._

"Ho sakta hai. Lekin ek plumber ki kisi se kya dushmani ho sakti hai?" _Daya said._ "Neighbors se kuch pata chala?"

"Sachin sir aur Nikhil interrogate kar rahe hain" _Shreya told._

 _Sachin and Nikhil arrived._

"Sir, ye ladki akeli hi rehti thi. Aur iska naam..." _Sachin paused looking at Shreya,_ "...Shreya khanna hai!"

 _Daya and Shreya exchanged looks._

"Shreya khanna!" _Shreya whispered._

 _Nikhil pointed towards a girl._ "Sir ye ladki Shreya khanna ki friend hai."

 _The girl came ahead_. "Sir mera naam Pooja hai." _She was looking horrified_. "Sir main aur Shreya ek hi gym ke member hain isliye dosti ho gayi thi usse. Sir mujhe lagta hai ye usi ne kiya hai."

 _All were confused_. "Kiski baat kar rahi ho tum?" _Shreya asked._

"Rohan ki! Wo bhi humari gym ka member tha. Shreya ko Kai dino se pareshan kar raha tha. Kal usne gym me Shreya ke sath bahut gandi harkat ki jo Shreya bardasht nahi kar saki to usne sabke samne use thappad maar diya tha. Phir Rohan ne gusse me uska gala pakad liya aur use marne ki dhamki dene laga. Bahut mushkil se baki logo ne Shreya ko uski grip se bachaya. Aur ye usi ne kiya hoga. I am sure. Aap use pakadiye sir!" _Pooja said crying._

 _Daya turned to Sachin and Nikhil._ "Jara is Rohan ko pakad kar bureau Lao."

 _Sachin and Nikhil nodded._

 _The body was sent to forensic lab._

 _Daya was discussing something with Acp Pradyuman, Abhijeet and Shreya. Suddenly Purvi and Rishi arrived with a file._

"Sir mujhe ek bahut hi shocking baat pata chali hai." _Purvi said._

"Kaisi baat Purvi?" _Acp asked._

 _Purvi opened the file_. "Sir ye Mumbai local police ki FIR register ki copy hai. Pichle 4 dino me city me 4 ladkiyon ka khoon hua hai. Aur jo baat hairan karne wali hai wo ye ki...in sabhi ladkiyon ka first name 'Shreya' hai."

 _Purvi said and all eyes automatically turned to Shreya. She was bewildered._

"Aur sabhi murders me ek hand saw ka use hua hai. Wo bhi ekdum freshly purchased." _Rishi added staring at Shreya but as she looked at him he looked away. Shreya felt strange with his behavior._

"My god!" _Acp exclaimed._

"Sir murder weapon same hai. Murder karne ka tareeka bhi same hai. mujhe lagta hai ye koi serial killer hai." _Daya said_.

"Jo sabhi 'Shreya' naam ki ladkiyon ko maar raha hai?" _Shreya uttered looking at Daya._

"Hmm!" _Acp nodded_ , "In ladkiyon me aur koi connection hai Purvi?"

"No sir, sirf ye ki inka naam ek hai." _Purvi said._

"Sir, mujhe lagta hai hume ek alert announce kar dena chahiye. Jis bhi ladki ka first name Shreya hai, use sawadhan karna chahiye." _Abhijeet said._

 _Acp nodded. Sachin and Nikhil entered._

"Sir wo Rohan faraar hai. Sare samaan ke sath. Uske landlord se chabi lekar humne uska pura ghar check kiya but koi khas saboot nahi mila uske khilaf." _Sachin informed._

 _Shreya moved away from all feeling horrified._ "Koi aisa kyun kar raha hai? Ek hi naam ki 5 ladkiyon ka khoon ho chuka hai. Aur un sabka naam wahi hai jo mera hai."

 _Everybody looked at her. Purvi moved to her. "_ Wo tumhe kuch nahi kar sakta Shreya, don't worry!"

 _Abhijeet moved to call someone._

"Ab tum kise call kar rahe ho?" _Daya asked._

"Ek Shreya meri life me bhi hai bhai!" _Abhijeet said teasingly. Daya and Shreya shared a quick eyelock turning red._

 _Acp Pradyuman grumbled._ "Tum logo ko majak sujh raha hai. Us khooni ko pakadne ki koi chinta nahi." _He turned to Daya_. "Daya turant ek press conference bulao aur announce karo ki Shreya is case ki chief officer hogi."

 _Shreya gasped._

"Kuch bhi karke Shreya ko limelight me lao. Us khooni ko pata chalna chahiye ki humari officer ka naam bhi Shreya hai." _Acp Pradyuman added._

 _Daya and Shreya looked at each other. Daya looked at acp with an expression of disapproval._

"Matlab aap chahte hain ki use Shreya ke bare me pata chale aur wo Shreya ko marne ki koshish kare. You are inviting that bloody killer to kill Shreya?" _Daya asked._

"Exactly!" _Acp nodded._

"Lekin sir, aise kaise aap...matlab... Sir wo kaun hai...kaisa hai hume nahi pata. Ek anjaan dushman humesha khatarnak hota hai. Hum Shreya ki jaan khatre me daalkar itna bada risk nahi le sakte sir." _Daya said sounding vexed._

 _Shreya stared at Daya hoping him not to argue with acp sir for her._

 _Acp glared at Daya_. "To kya kare? 5 Shreya mar chuki hain. Aur pata nahi aur kitni marne wali hain. Tum chup raho Daya aur jitna bol raha hu utna karo."

 _Daya went silent after getting the scolding._

 _Acp turned to Shreya._ "Tum taiyar ho na Shreya?"

 _Shreya looked at Daya inhaling a deep breath and nodded with a indecisive look on her face_ "Yes sir!"

.

.

 **...to be continued**

 **A/N: don't forget to comment your guesses if you have any.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _So as a part of their plan of action, CID called a press conference. Shreya along with Acp Pradyuman, Daya and Abhijeet walked into the conference room. Shreya was moving when Acp signalled her to take the chair in the center. Shreya hesitated a bit but followed the instruction and took the seat right in the center. Acp grabbed a seat beside Shreya. Daya and Abhijeet also took their respective seats._

 _Acp started the conference by a general introductory speech._

 _A journalist put up his question_. "Sir pichle 10 din ke andar city me 5 ladkiyon ka khoon ho chuka hai. Aapko nahi lagta ki alert issue karne me CID ne der kar di. Agar CID ki taraf se pehle action liya gaya hota to shayad 1-2 ladkiyon ki jaan bachai ja sakti thi. Wo serial killer abhi tak aazad ghoom raha hai. Kya ye CID ki kabiliyat par ek sawal nahi hai? Kya CID Mumbai ke sare officers so rahe hain?"

 _Acp Pradyuman exchanged glances with his officers and faced the journalist._

"Dekhiye hume un ladkiyon ki maut ka afsos hai. Humare officers so nahi rahe hain. Agar ye case humare paas pehle aaya hota to ab tak wo serial killer humari custody me hota. Ye case pehle local police handle kar rahi thi. Lekin humne ye conference ek dusre ko blame karne ke liye nahi bulai hai. Hume iss case me media ki help chahiye." _Acp pradyuman spoke with a cool mind. He turned to Shreya._ "Meet inspector Shreya. The chief investigating officer of this case."

 _Shreya nodded her head._

 _Another journalist fired his question._ "Sir CID ke paas senior aur experienced officers hain phir ek junior officer ko chief investigating officer kyun banaya aapne? Wo bhi itne serious case me?"

 _Acp smiled,_ "I would like Inspector Shreya to speak to you."

 _Shreya exchanged a look with Acp and turned to the journalists._ "You're right, this case is very serious and demands a careful consideration. Lekin, aapne shayad dhyan nahi diya. Mera naam Shreya hai. To make a better sense I would say, mera naam 'bhi' Shreya hai." _She took a pause giving the journalists a moment to get a hold of the idea . She continued_ , "This anonymous killer is victimizing only those girls who are named as 'Shreya'. Iss khooni ki dushmani ladkiyon se nahi sirf unke naam se hai. May be he is a psycho. Use 'Shreya' naam ki ladkiyon se kya problem hai ye to wo hi batayega jab hum use arrest karenge. Jaise hi use kisi aisi ladki ke bare me pata chalta hai jiska naam 'Shreya' hai, wo bardasht nahi kar pata, pagal sa ho jata hai aur ultimately uss ladki ki jaan lekar hi use sukoon milta hai. Iss case ko lead karne ki opportunity mujhe Acp sir ne isliye di hai taki un sari Shreya naam ki ladkiyon ki jaan lene wale is serial killer ko ek Shreya naam ki ladki hi arrest kare aur use uske jurm ki saza dilaye. Main janti hu mera naam sunkar wo baukhala gaya hoga. Aur main use challenge karti hu ki kisi aur bekasoor ladki ko marne se pehle wo mujhe maar kar dikhaye. Kyunki agar usne mujhe nahi mara to ...main use maar dungi!"

 _Shreya spoke curling her fingers in a tight fist. The journalists started capturing her in their cameras. A ferocious determination was displaying in her large eyes._

 _As the conference got over Shreya grabbed the glass of water and emptied in one go. Acp glanced at her._

"Tum nervous ho Shreya?"

 _Shreya quickly wiped her mouth_. "No sir, actually Daya sir aur Abhijeet sir ke hote huye pehli baar main itna bada operation lead karne ja rahi hu to bas thoda sa..."

"I understand Shreya!" _Acp shook his head_ , "But you are not allowed to get nervous. Your attitude throughout the operation will decide the success or failure of this operation and we can not afford to lose you or any other girl named Shreya. Tum samajh rahi ho na main kya keh raha hu?"

 _Shreya breathed in and nodded._ "Yes sir!"

"One more thing" _Acp Pradyuman added,_ "Wo cid bureau me ghus kar to tum par attack nahi karega. Maybe tumhare ghar me ghusne ki koshish kare aur waha humari team hogi disguise me. Lekin hume use chance dena hoga tum par attack karne ke liye. Isliye tum jaha bhi jaogi, like bahar khana khane, shopping karne tum akeli jaogi. Wo tumhe akela samajh kar tumhara peecha karega but tum actually akeli hogi nahi. Humari team tum par door se najar rakhegi."

 _Shreya nodded,_ "Sir, mujhe humari team par bharosa hai aur aap mujh par bhi bharosa rakhiye. Bas ek baar wo mere samne aa jaye!"

"Good! Mujhe bharosa hai tum par!" _Acp Pradyuman patted her shoulder._

 _Meanwhile Daya got a call from Nikhil._

"Han Nikhil, ...kya...good job, use bureau lekar aao!" _Daya spoke and turned to Acp._

"Sir, wo Rohan ko abhi abhi police ne railway station se arrest kiya hai. Ghaziabad ki ticket li thi usne. Uska ghar hai waha. Nikhil aur Freddy use lekar aa rahe hain. Dekhte hain usse kya pata chalta hai." _Daya said._

"Hmm." _Acp nodded,_ "achhe se interrogate karna."

o-o-o

 _Rohan let out a loud piercing cry as Daya slapped him._

"Sir kyun maar rahe ho mujhe? Maine kuch nahi kiya hai? Mujhe kyun arrest kiya?"

"Kuch kiya nahi to, pura samaan lekar Mumbai chod kar kyun bhag raha tha?" _Daya reprimanded convulsively holding his collar._

 _Rohan shuddered and cried. He looked at Abhijeet._ "Sir aap please inhe door rakhiye mujhse. Main sab batata hu phir!"

 _Abhijeet asked Daya to move_ , "Daya, chodo use."

 _Daya jerked him and stepped back._ "Ab bol!"

 _Rohan gasped._ "Sir main bhag nahi raha tha. Main to apne ghar ja raha tha. Mere Dada ji ko heart attack aaya tha. Wo hospitalized hain. Bas unse milne ja raha tha lekin train me baithne se pehle hi police ne arrest kar liya aur maar maar ke dekhiye kya haal kar diya hai mera. Ab to shayad mujhe hi hospitalize karna pade."

 _Abhijeet sighed and looked at Nikhil_ , "Iska statement verify kiya?"

"Yes sir, ye sach bol raha hai. Iske bataye gaye number par humne call kiya hai. Doctor se baat hui hai. Iske Dada ji sach me hospitalized hain aur ab wo khatre se bahar hain" _Nikhil told._

"Dekha sir aapne, main jhooth kyun bolunga." _Rohan said crying._

"Chalo mana tum sach bol rahe ho lekin isse ye to sabit nahi hota na ki tumne Shreya khanna ka khoon nahi kiya. Humare paas witness hain jinke samne tumne use jaan se marne ki dhamki di thi." _Shreya said glaring at him._

 _Before Rohan could respond Shreya, Daya again advanced towards him_. "Dhamki kyun di thi tumne use han?" _He roared._

"Sir please inhe door rakhiye na!" _Rohan again requested to Abhijeet. Abhijeet asked Daya to stay away from him. Daya moved back glaring at him._

 _Rohan coughed and blew his nose._ "Sir Shreya se bahut pyar karta tha main. Din raat gym me ghusa rehta tha." _He cried looking at Daya,_ "Sochiye agar aap meri jegah hote aur aap Shreya se pyar karte aur use impress karne ke liye din raat ek kar dete body banane me."

 _Daya and Shreya looked at each other._

 _Abhijeet looked at Daya and teased him_ , "Socho Daya agar tum 'Shreya' se pyar karte..."

 _Shreya looked down in embarrassment. Daya looked away._

 _Rohan continued,_ "Aur itne par bhi Shreya aapse impress na hoti aur aapko ye bol kar thappad maar deti ki 'Shakal dekhi hai apni?' To aap kya karte?"

 _Daya looked at Shreya. She covered her mouth with her hand having a hard time controlling her laughter._

 _Abhijeet giggled. Daya scratched his head and glared at Rohan,_ "to itni si baat ke liye tu maar dega use?"

 _Rohan quickly shook his head_ , "Bilkul nahi sir, bas thoda gussa aa gaya tha. Rejection handle karna asaan nahi hota. Bas gusse me aakar dialogue bol diya tha ki agar wo meri nahi hui to kisi aur ki bhi nahi hone dunga. Maar dalunga use." _He started crying again._ "Lekin sir, main sach keh raha hu maine sirf dhamki di thi. Use maine nahi mara. Main 2 saal se pyar karta tha usse sir. Yakeen kariye mera please!" _Rohan said beseechingly._

 _Abhijeet moved away along with Daya._ "Yaar mujhe nahi lagta isne kuch kiya hai. Ek thappad khate hi bachho ki terah rona shuru kar diya. Ye kya khoon karega kisi ka."

"Hmm." _Daya nodded_ , "to kya kare custody me rakhe ya jane de?"

"Chod dete hain, lekin Nikhil aur Pankaj ko bolo is par najar rakhe. Koi risk nahi le sakte! Kya pata ye jo dikh raha ho wo ho nahi." _Abhijeet whispered._

 _Duo walked back to Rohan._

"Sir kya baate kar rahe the aap log? Main ja sakta hu na sir? Mujhe Dada ji se milne Jana hai. Main jaun sir?" _Rohan asked with hopeful eyes._

 _Daya smirked,_ "ja sakte ho tum lekin sirf bureau se bahar. Khabardar jo Mumbai se bahar kadam rakhne ki bhi koshish ki to. Tumhare Dada ji abhi bilkul theek hain. Jab tak ye case solve nahi ho jata aur hum tumhe permission nahi dete bahar jane ki tum kahi nahi ja sakte samjhe. Chalo jao ab!"

 _Rohan nodded helplessly thinking it's better to move from there than arguing with Daya. He left uttering thanks to the officers._

 _Sachin and Rishi walked in and approached Duo._

"Sir wo sare murder weapons ek hi company ke hain aur humne city me pata kiya hai ki kaun si shops pe us company ke hand tools available hain." _Sachin said._

"Han to kuch pata chala?" _Abhijeet asked._

"Sir, pata chala bhi aur nahi bhi!" _Rishi said shaking his head._

 _Daya and Abhijeet exchanged glances._

"Matlab?" _Daya uttered._

"Sir ek shopkeeper ne bataya ki jab se ye murders shuru huye hain tab se ek aadmi uski shop pe aata hai aur dusra koi tool nahi sirf ek hand saw kharid kar le jata hai." _Sachin told._

 _Daya, Abhijeet and Shreya all were shocked._

"What?" _Shreya exclaimed._ "Damn! Ye wahi killer hoga sir!"

"My god!" _Abhijeet said,_ "To kaun hai wo aadmi? Koi photo koi identity?"

 _Sachin nodded in no,_ "Nahi sir, na koi CCTV footage mila na aur koi tasveer!"

"Are to us shopkeeper ne to use dekha hai, use bolo sketch banawane me help kare!" _Daya shouted._

"Sir actually baat ye hai ki shopkeeper ne uska chehra theek se dekha nahi hai. Lambe baal, dadhi aur muchhe hain pura chehra almost cover rehta hai. Aur aankho me bhi glasses to chehra identify karna almost impossible hai." _Rishi explained._

"Oh no!" _Shreya said,_ "sir wo bahut shatir hai. I am sure wo dadhi muchh nakli hi hogi. Sirf apna real face chupane ke liye aisa kiya hoga usne."

"Hmm." _Abhijeet said with a sigh._ "Lekin agar use media ke through Shreya ke bare me pata chala to wo chup to baithega nahi. Shreya ko marne ke liye phir wo saw kharidne jayega. Us shopkeeper ko sath hi aas paas ke baki dusre shopkeepers ko bolo ki koi bhi matlab koi bhi agar saw kharidne aata hai to hume turant inform kare."

"Alright sir!" _Rishi said and left._

o-o-o

 **Society, where Shreya lives.**

 _Prabhakar (The new watchmen) saluted Mr gupta (secretary) as his car entered._

"Good evening saab!"

"Good evening Prabhakar! Aur kaisa raha duty ka dusra din?" _Mr Gupta asked._

"Badhiya hi hai saab." _Prabhakar said._

 _Mr Gupta noticed a box kept under his chair._ "Ye box kaisa?"

 _Prabhakar looked at the box._ "Wo kuch nahi saab. Wo mera toolbox hai. Day shift khatam hone ke baad part time plumber ka bhi kaam kar leta hu main. Society me kisi ko plumber ki jarurat ho to aap mujhe hi bolna."

"Achha achha theek hai. Main sab ko bata dunga ki bahar se kisi plumber ko bulane ki jegah tumhe hi bulaya kare." _Mr Gupta said smiling._

"Thank you saab!" _Prabhakar said obligingly._

o-o-o

 _Acp Pradyuman came to Shreya._

"Are you leaving Shreya?"

"Yes sir, kyun koi kaam tha!" _Shreya said._

"Nahi bas yahi bolna tha ki Purvi ke sath mat jana. Akeli hi jana."

 _Shreya nodded,_ "Yes sir, I understand!"

"Purvi, Rishi, Sachin, Nikhil, Pankaj, all of you come here!" _Acp Pradyuman said aloud._

 _Everyone gathered._ "Yes sir!"

"Dekho, Shreya ghar ja rahi hai. Tum sare log apna get up change karo aur Shreya ke peeche jao. Jab tak wo ghar nahi pahuch jati. Wo khooni raste me us par attack kar sakta hai." _Acp ordered._

"Lekin sir abhi tak hume nayi saw kharidne ki information nahi mili hai. Wo Shreya par attack karega kisse?" _Rishi said and received a fierce look from acp._

"Hume information nahi mili iska ye matlab nahi ki uske paas weapon nahi hai aur wo attack nahi kar sakta. !"

"Sorry sir!" _Rishi said lowering his head._

 _Shreya just shook her head._

o-o-o

 _Shreya left for her house secretly followed by her teammates in disguise._

 _Sachin as Shreya's taxi driver._

 _Pankaj as another taxi driver and Purvi and Nikhil as his passengers. They were following Shreya's taxi driven by Sachin._

"Bhaiya taxi rok do!" _Shreya said_ "Yaha se main chal kar chali jaungi."

"Are kya madam. Chal kar kyun jayengi. Andhera bahut hai, rasta bhi sunsaan hai. Hum aapko chod dete hain na ghar tak." _Sachin said smiling_.

"Are nahi bhaiya wo actually paas me ek market hai. Mujhe market se kuch fresh sabjiyan leni hain. Aur waise bhi ghar bas thodi door par hai. Main chali jaungi. Ye lo paise!" _Shreya said forwarding the money to Sachin._

"Theek hai madam, jaisi aapki marji." _Sachin said looking into Shreya's eyes. They secretly talked something. She nodded and asked him to leave through her eyes._

 _Pankaj honked the horns from behind_. "Are bhai, aage badho, baap ki road samajh rakhi hai kya. Mere passengers ko late ho raha hai."

"Abey mote chilla kyun raha hai, puri road khali hai..ja na!" _Sachin shouted_.

"Abey oye...mota kisko bola?" _Pankaj shouted getting down his taxi._

"Tujhe bola, kya kar lega tu?" _Sachin said folding his sleeves._

"Dekh tu panga mat le han...main bata raha hu theek nahi hoga!" _Pankaj said warning Sachin._

"Are o taxi wale bhaiya, aap log baad me kushti lad lena. Hume late ho raha hai chalo na." _Purvi said from behind_. "Ek to iss taxi me itni garmi hai. Upar se aap logo ki chik chik, Baap re!" _She said fanning herself with the edge of her saree._

"Garmi hai to main kya karu madam? Aapke liye AC lagawaun taxi me?" _Pankaj said annoyingly._

"Bhaiya, lagwa lo to achha hi hai! Baithne walo ki duayein milegi." _Purvi said teasingly._

"Duayein lene ki jegah kaha hai iske pet me?" _Sachin said laughing._

"Tu phir bola?" _Pankaj shouted angrily at Sachin._

"Pankaj bas kar overacting mat kar!" _Nikhil murmured._

"Han han theek hai!" _Pankaj said._ "Dekh lunga tujhe!" _He said to Sachin._

 _Here Shreya had moved ahead. Sachin and others were keeping an eye on her while continuing their disguise drama._

 _Suddenly Sachin spotted someone in black hooded jacket moving towards Shreya._

"Ek minute, ye kaun hai jo Shreya ke peeche chal raha hai?" _Sachin whispered._

"Sir kahi ye wahi to nahi!" _Purvi said talking on the bluetooth device._

 _Before they could understand anything the hoodie man suddenly pounced upon Shreya from behind and clasped her tightly in his arms._

"Oh no! Everybody move!" _Sachin ordered and all rushed towards Shreya._

 _Shreya used her elbow for a powerful thrust and kicked him in stomach. He loosened his grip. Shreya turned and slapped him without seeing his face._

 _Sachin and all came and surrounded him pointing their guns on his head._

"Ouuhh..aahhh!" _He was wincing in pain holding his stomach._

 _Sachin removed the hood revealing his face and Shreya was shocked._

"Vasu...tum?" _She exclaimed with her mouth wide opened in air._

.

.

 **...to be continued**

.

.

 **A/N:** Wondering who's this Vasu now? Wait for the next and last chapter. Your guesses are good, keep guessing till next update. Investigative fics are really fun to write. :-)


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Vasu...tum?" _Shreya exclaimed in surprise._

"Shreya tum janti ho ise?" _Sachin asked glancing at Shreya._

"Aaoo..uuhh..!" _Vasu was still grimacing out of pain._

 _Shreya let out a sigh_. "Sir...relax, he is my college friend." _She asked the officers to take away their guns._

 _Sachin looked unconvinced,_ "Friend? But jis terah usne tumhe achanak se aakar pakda... Hume kya kisi ko bhi yahi lagega ki wo tumhe marne ki koshish kar raha tha.

 _Shreya laughed_ , "Sir, actually ye na aisa hi hai. Ye jab bhi milta hai to aise hi mujhe achanak se peeche se aakar pakad leta hai aur surprise karta hai. Idiot!" _She turned to Vasu,_ "Tum nahi sudharne wale na!"

"But ye ho kya raha hai Shreya? Ye taxi drivers gun lekar mere peeche kyun pad gaye?" _Vasu said looking bewildered._

"Kyunki ye cid officers hain aur wo tumhe serial killer samajh rahe the jo ki mujhpe attack karne wala hai." _Shreya explained._

"Oh my god! Koi serial killer tum par attack karne wala hai?" _Vasu said aloud in amazement._

"Han lekin tum abhi please jao yaha se! Hum baad me milte hain phir baate karte hain. I will call you" _Shreya said softly patting his arm._

 _Vasu nodded giving Shreya a quick side hug._ "Alright, main chalta hu. Take care and all the best for your mission."

"Thank you!" _Shreya said smiling._

 _Vasu left from there._

 _Sachin turned to Shreya_. "Shreya ho sakta hai wo killer bhi yahi kahi aas paas ho. Tumhe stalk kar raha ho. Lekin Vasu ki wajeh se humara pura plan reveal ho gaya. Usne hum sab ko pehchan bhi liya hoga aur alert bhi ho gaya hoga."

"I know sir. Lekin don't worry. Bhale hi wo alert ho gaya hoga lekin wo mujhe marne ka plan cancel nahi karega. Jis terah se usne ab tak murders kiye hain usse ek baat to clear hai ki use police ya cid ka koi dar nahi hai. Wo apne aap ko bahut smart samajhta hai. Wo mujhe marne ka koi na koi dusra rasta jaroor nikalega." _Shreya said thoughtfully._

 _Sachin nodded_. "Anyway ab tum ghar jao. Hum log bhi nikalte hain kafi raat ho gayi hai. Apna khayal rakhna. Apni gun load karke apne paas rakh kar sona."

"Neend bhi kaha aane wali hai sir!" _Shreya said tiredly._

 _Sachin patted her back to encourage her. She smiled. They exchanged good night greetings and moved to their respective residents._

 _As they moved someone watching them from a distance on a bike removed his helmet and smirked._

 _Shreya was tired and sleepy but the threat of the anonymous enemy was not allowing her to take a peaceful nap. She tucked her fully loaded gun into her jeans and cuddled on the couch. Soon she drifted into sleep._

 _Suddenly she heard some noises and opened her eyes with a jerk. She froze seeing a shadow near the window. Her breath got stuck in her throat and she made her grip firm on the gun._ "Kaun hai waha?" _She said stepping towards the window. Hearing her voice the shadow moved and disappeared._

"Hey stop!" _Shreya shouted. She ran and opened the window with her one hand. She heard some footfalls in the gallery. She rushed out of her room. She spotted the shadow moving towards the staircase. She made her way in the same direction holding her gun firmly. She got to see someone._

"Prabhakar!" _She uttered flabbergasted._ "Ruk jao!" _She ran after him but she was a bit late in action and the man was disappeared. Shreya reached on the ground floor running all the way. She was panting badly. It was past 1 o'clock of the night and all her neighbors were sleeping soundly._

"Kya wo Prabhakar hi tha? Maine uska chehra theek se nahi dekha but mujhe aisa kyun lag raha hai ki wo Prabhakar hi tha. Agar wo wahi tha to wo is waqt yaha kya kar raha tha. Uski shift to khatam ho chuki hai." _Shreya pondered over her thoughts and moved to the main gate._

 _She was dumbstruck seeing the night watchman sleeping on his chair._

"What the hell!" _Shreya gritted her teeth_. "Hello... Utho!" _Shreya shouted agitating him angrily by his shoulder._

 _He opened his eyes and got scared of Shreya on being caught sleeping on duty._

"Madam sorry, jara aankh lag gayi thi.!"

"Shut up!" _Shreya yelled._ "Aankh lag gayi thi." _She murmured_. "Kya Prabhakar aaya tha yaha?"

"Prabhakar? Madam wo to day shift me duty karta hai. Abhi yaha kyun aayega wo." _The man said gingerly_.

"Agar aaya bhi hoga to tumne dekha kaha hoga. Tum to kumbhkaran ki terah soye huye ho. Koi bhi society me aakar kuch bhi karke ja sakta hai aur tumhe pata bhi nahi chalega. Don't worry, kal hi baat karti hu main secretary se. Duty pe sone wala watchman nahi chahiye hume." _Shreya said glaring at him._

"Madam please, galti ho gayi. Dobara nahi hoga."

"Chup!" _Shreya scolded._ "Ye chair uthao aur door rakho. Khade hokar duty karo."

 _Poor man obeyed her and kept the chair in side and stood straight. Shreya left from their blabbering in anger._

 _She came back in her flat. She shut the door and poured a glass of water. She took a sip and breathed in_. "Ho sakta hai mujhe koi galatfehmi hui ho. Lekin agar wo Prabhakar hi tha to itni raat ko meri window ke paas kya kar raha tha." _She wondered._

 **Next day**

 _Shreya was leaving for bureau. Prabhakar met her on the gate._

"Good morning Shreya ji!" _He wished her._

 _Shreya stopped near him and glared at him._ "Madam bolo, naam lene ki jarurat nahi hai okay!"

 _He smiled weirdly_. "Jarurat kyun nahi hai. Naam se hi to insaan ki pehchan hoti hai. Aur phir aapka naam hai bhi itna khoobsurat. Mujhe kisi ki yaad aa jati hai."

"Kiski?" _Shreya asked narrowing her brows._

"Meri bivi ki!" _Prabhakar said in a hushed voice._ "Bhag gayi mujhe chod kar!" _He said and burst out laughing like maniacs._

 _Shreya was stunned._ "Kya? tumhari bivi ka naam bhi Shreya tha?" _She uttered in shock._

"Naam mat lo uska. Nafrat karta hu main usse aur uske naam se!" _Prabhakar shouted stepping closer to Shreya._

 _Shreya let out a low scream stepping backwards_. "Door hato!"

"Arey aap kyun dar rahi hain. Main to bas majak kar raha tha. Aapse nafrat nahi karta main." _He said smiling slyly._ "Security guards to safety ke liye hote hain. Unse darne ki kya jarurat?"

 _Shreya took a deep breath._ "Kal raat tum kaha the?"

"Apne ghar pe!" _Prabhakar said._

"Jhooth! Tum yaha aaye the. Maine tumhe dekha tha" _Shreya said staring at him suspiciously._

 _Prabhakar laughed_. "Aapki galatfehmi hogi."

 _Shreya was going to speak more but suddenly she got a call from Purvi._

"Shreya are you okay?" _She asked first of all and continued after getting a positive reply._ "Shreya jaldi se bureau aa jao. Forensic reports aa gayi hain. Wahi discuss karna hai. Shayad koi clue mil sakta hai."

 _Shreya shot a last glance at Prabhakar and left in a hurry._

 _All the officers were busy in the discussion based on the long detailed forensic reports given by Dr Salunkhe but Shreya was thinking something else. She was lost thinking about the morning encounter with Prabhakar._

 _Abhijeet noticed Shreya lost somewhere and signalled to Daya. Daya looked at Shreya and moved to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder. Shreya jumped on her feet as if she had got a shock._

She was looking terrified.

"Shreya relax, main hu!" _Daya said seeing her sweaty forehead_. "Kya hua tum theek to ho na? Khoyi khoyi si lag rahi ho."

"Nahi sir. Kuch nahi bas aise hi!" _Shreya said trying to smile._

"Koi baat hai to mujhse keh sakti ho." _Daya said softly._

 _Shreya stared at him._ "Sir actually wo..." _And she told him about Prabhakar._

 _Daya was puzzled_. "To tumhe lagta hai ki wo watchman khooni ho sakta hai?"

"Sir I am not sure. Hum cid walo ki to aadat hoti hai har kisi ko shak ki najar se dekhne ki. Aur wo aadmi mujhe pehle din se hi bahut ajeeb lag raha hai. Shakal se to wo waise bhi pagal hi lagta hai." _Shreya said imagining his stupid face._

 _Daya heaved a sigh,_ "lekin Shreya uska motive kya ho sakta hai ladkiyon ko marne ka?"

"Sir I don't know. Pehle usne kaha ki uski wife ka naam Shreya tha jo use chod kar chali gayi. Lekin baad me usne bola ki wo sirf majak kar raha tha. But mujhe lagta hai ki wo majak nahi sach tha aur...

"Aur wo apni wife se aur uske naam se nafrat karta hai isliye sari Shreya naam ki ladkiyon ka khoon kar raha hai." _Daya added to her sentence._

"Exactly!" _Shreya nodded._

"But Shreya aisa bhi to ho sakta hai ki wo wakai majak hi kar raha tha." _Daya said looking at her._

"Sir lekin..." _Shreya reciprocated._

"Theek hai theek hai main acp sir se baat karta hu is bare me. Dekhte hain wo kya action lete hain. You don't worry!" _Daya said squeezing her shoulder gently._

 _Meanwhile Acp entered and looked at Daya and Shreya._

"Kuch personal baate ho rahi hain Daya?" _He asked moving towards them._

 _Daya turned to him._ "Nahi sir. Case se related baate hi kar rahe the hum."

 _Shreya bit her lips feeling awkward._

 _Acp shot a look to both of them and turned to other officers._ "Koi clue mila kya? Any progress?"

"Nahi sir, kuch bhi nahi." _Abhijeet said nodding his head._

 _Acp turned to Daya,_ "Han to tum dono case se related kya baate kar rahe the?"

 _Daya and Shreya exchanged looks._

"Sir wo Shreya keh rahi thi ki..." _Daya said moving towards Acp and told about Prabhakar._

"What? Are you sure Shreya?" _Acp asked Shreya after knowing about Prabhakar._

"No sir, I am not sure. Bas mera shak hai ki kahi Prabhakar hi to wo serial killer nahi." _Shreya said._

 _Acp moved to and fro._ "Kuch to gadbad hai Shreya. Kuch to gadbad hai is Prabhakar ke sath."

 _Daya and Shreya looked at each other._

"To sir, ek kaam karte hain na, iss Prabhakar ki kundali nikalte hain. Apne aap sab kuch pata chal jayega." _Daya said with great vitality._

"Hmm...pata lagao. Iss Prabhakar ke bare me sab kuch pata lagao." _Acp said shaking his fingers._

"Ok sir!" _Daya said._

"Lekin tum nahi" _acp said leaving Daya confused._

"Tumhare liye dusra kaam hai mere paas." _Acp said and turned to Abhijeet,_ "Abhijeet, Nikhil aur Rishi. Tum log handle karo iss Prabhakar ko. Shreya jao in sab ko milwao jara Prabhakar se."

"Ok sir!" _Shreya nodded._

 _Daya cursed Acp muttering something in undertone._ "Sir lekin main kyun nahi ja sakta?" _He raised his voice in annoyance._

 _Acp Pradyuman looked at him._ "Kyunki mujhe abhi tak yaad hai. Jab Shreya ko Ahmadabad me kuch logo ne kidnap kiya tha to tumne unke sath kya kiya tha. Wo khooni jo koi bhi hai use hume zinda pakadna hai. Aur tum Shreya ko lekar kitne sentimental ho jate ho hum sab ko pata hai."

 _Shreya stared at Daya smiling emotionally. Daya was pressing his fingers in displeasure._

"Yaha to Shreya ki jaan par bani hui hai. Tumhara aur tumhare gusse ka koi bharosa nahi. Isliye tumhe is case se door rakhne ki koshish kar raha hu main. Ab aur koi sawal mat karna!" _Acp said stealing eyes from Daya._

"Jaisa aapko theek lage sir!" _Daya said in a low voice._

 _Abhijeet moved near Daya and whispered_ , "Don't worry, hume bhi Shreya ki utni hi fikar hai. Hum use kuch nahi hone denge."

 _Daya shook his head._

 _Abhijeet turned to Shreya,_ "Shreya let's go!" _He said putting his hand on her shoulder._

 _Shreya took her eyes off from Daya and nodded_. "Yes sir!"

 _Shreya moved with Abhijeet, Nikhil and Rishi._

 _When they reached there Shreya got a shock seeing the old guard Shankar instead of Prabhakar._

"Shankar, tum kab aaye aur Prabhakar kaha hai?" _Shreya asked with perplexed expressions._

"Madam main wapas aa gaya na isliye wo chala gaya." _Shankar told._

"What? Kaha chala gaya?" _Shreya shouted._

"Ghar chala gaya madam. Koi dusri naukri bhi to dhundhni hai use na." _Shankar told._

 _Shreya looked at Abhijeet_ , "Oh no!"

 _Abhijeet assured her through eyes and turned to Shankar._ "Ye batao ye Prabhakar tumhara bahut achha dost hai na. Uske bare me to sab kuch jante hoge tum. Uski bivi ka naam jante ho?"

"Han sir, uski bivi ka naam Tara hai." _Shankar told._

 _Abhijeet turned to Shreya,_ "Dekho, uski bivi ka naam Shreya nahi Tara hai. Matlab tumhari theory galat hai. Iss naam se uska koi lena dena nahi hai. Prabhakar khooni nahi ho sakta."

 _Shreya was upset now_. "You're right sir. Main faltu me us par shak kar rahi thi."

"It's okay!" _Abhijeet said._

 _Nikhil wiped his sweaty face_ , "Sir bahut pyas lagi hai. Aaj garmi bahut hai na."

 _Rishi nodded_ , "Han sach me. Shreya tumhare ghar tak aaye hain. Ek glass pani milega?"

 _Shreya smiled,_ "Sure, sirf pani kyun. Chaliye main sab ke liye rooh afza banati hu."

 _Everyone smiled and Shreya led them to her flat._

 _Here in bureau, The rest of the officers were busy in their respective works assigned to them when a woman in her mid fifties entered holding a tiffin box in her hands._

"Yes mam, aapko kisse milna hai?" _Purvi asked the woman._

"Main Rishi ki ma hu." _She said smiling._

"Oh auntie aap, aaiye na!" _Purvi welcomed her in the bureau. Daya, Pankaj, Freddy and Sachin also moved to meet her. They offered her a chair._

"Main Rishi ke liye lunch lekar aayi thi." _The woman said._

 _Daya smiled,_ "Lekin Rishi to abhi bureau me hai nahi. Investigation pe gaya hai."

"Aap tiffin hume de deejiye, Rishi aayega to hum use de denge." _Pankaj said salivating. Purvi hit him on his arm._

 _The woman smiled_. "Bilkul!" _She kept the box on the table. She looked at Daya._ "Rishi theek se kaam to kar raha hai na. Jyada galtiyan to nahi karta. Agar usse kuch galti ho jaye to aap log use thoda pyar se samjhana. Wo bahut samajhdar hai."

 _Daya and Sachin exchanged looks. All were confused._

"Aap aise kyun bol rahi hain. Rishi to bahut intelligent officer hai. Bahut achhe se kaam kar raha hai." _Daya said smiling lightly._

 _Rishi's mother was delighted. She smiled broadly._ "I am so proud of him. Maine kabhi socha nahi tha ki meta beta ek cid officer ban sakta hai. Wo ek normal insaan ki terah zindagi jee sake yahi mere liye bahut badi baat thi." _She said with moisten eyes._

 _Daya and all were again confused._

"Matlab?" _Daya asked_

o-o-o-o-o

 _Shreya came back with a tray holding glasses of rooh afza for her teammates sitting in the living room_.

"Thank you Shreya!" _They thanked her for the drink._

 _Shreya just smiled in response. She was moving back to kitchen when her eyes caught a glimpse of Prabhakar in the opposite wing_. "Prabhakar!" _She uttered._

 _Abhijeet stood up,_ "Kya hua Shreya."

"Sir maine abhi abhi Prabhakar ko C-wing me jate huye dekha." _Shreya told looking surprised._

"To isme itna pareshan hone ki kya baat hai." _Nikhil said._

"Ek minute!" _Shreya said and dialed the secretary's number,_ "Gupta ji main Shreya bol rahi hu. Shankar ke wapas aa jane ke baad Prabhakar chala gaya tha but abhi abhi maine use yaha society me dekha. Kya aap bata sakte hain wo yaha kya kar raha hai?"

"Shreya ji actually wo Prabhakar part time plumber ki job bhi karta hai. Wo C-Wing me rehne wali Mrs Shreya tiwari hain na, unke bathroom me leakage hai to maine hi Prabhakar ko check karne ke liye bheja hai." _Mr Gupta explained to Shreya._

 _Shreya's eyes widened._ "Prabhakar... Plumber..Shreya Tiwari..Oh my God!"

o-o-o-o-o

"Matlab?" _Daya asked._

"Beta Rishi was a special child." _Rishi's mother told_ , "Bachpan se hi use ek ajeeb si dimagi bimari thi. Jab bhi koi comic book padhta ya koi movie dekhta to kuch der ke liye sab kuch bhool kar usi kahaniyon ki duniya me chala jata tha. Fictional characters ko sach maan leta tha aur waisa hi behave karne lagta. Kabhi kabhi to wo kahaniyon ke fictional characters us par itne havi ho jate the ki wo apna asli naam asli pehchan sab kuch bhool jata tha. Kai baar to usne mujhe bhi pehchanne se inkar kar diya tha. Phir hum use ek bahut bade psychiatrist ke paas le gaye. Uski treatment start hui. Kuch dino me wo theek ho jata aur kuch dino baad achanak se phir se...lekin pichle kuch salo se wo normal hi hai. Aur aisa koi symptom bhi nahi dikha. Pichle 6-7 mahino se use medicine ki bhi jarurat nahi padi. Mujhe yakeen nahi hota ki uski bimari ab ekdum theek ho chuki hai aur wo ek cid officer ban kar itna achha kaam kar raha hai."

 _Daya and others let out a deep breath after listening the tales of Rishi's rare mental syndrome._

"Aap bilkul chinta mat kariye. Ab wo bilkul theek ho chuka hai. Aur cid ki job hai hi itni responsibility wali ki Rishi ke dimag me faltu ke khayal aane ka waqt hi nahi milega to aisi koi problem bhi nahi hogi." _Daya said assuring the woman._

"Achha, ab main chalti hu. Aur han aap log please Rishi se uski bimari ke bare me kuch puchna mat. Us bechare ko to is bimari ke bare me khud hi nahi pata."

"Ji ji bilkul! Aap chinta mat kariye." _Daya said._

 _Rishi's mother left._

"Oh my god! Ye Rishi ki to kahani hi alag hai. Wahi to main kahu ye banda thoda khiska hua kyun lagta hai mujhe?" _Pankaj said._

"Shut up Pankaj! This is not funny. Aise kisi ka majak nahi udate." _Daya scolded._

"Sorry sir!" _Pankaj apologized. His eyes were on the tiffin box_. "Sir bahut bhookh lagi hai aur Rishi ke tiffin se bahut achhi wali khushbu aa rahi hai." _He said rubbing his palms together._

"Pankaj please, tum Rishi ke tiffin ko hath bhi nahi lagaoge. Ye galat baat hai." _Purvi said scolding Pankaj and kept the the tiffin on Rishi's desk._

"Kya galat baat hai. Achha kam se kam tiffin khol kar dekhne to do ki hai kya?" _Pankaj said snatching the box from Purvi._

 _Daya shook his head_. "Ye nahi sudhar sakta."

"Bilkul nahi." _Purvi shouted and pushed Pankaj._

 _He fell on Rishi's desk with a jerk and accidentally the drawer got opened throwing its content outside._

"Offo ye kya kiya!" _Daya said holding his head._

"Oops! Sorry sir, main theek karta hu." _Pankaj said and started collecting Rishi's stuffs scattered around._

 _Suddenly Daya's eyes fell on something that made him curious._

o-o-o-o-o

"Kya hua Shreya?" _Abhijeet asked._

"Sir, Prabhakar bhi ek plumber hai aur wo iss waqt C-wing me kisi ke ghar leakage check karne gaya hai. Us aurat ka naam Shreya hai sir!" _Shreya said her eyes widened in apprehension._

 _Abhijeet was puzzled._ "Tumhara matlab hai ki...

"Han sir, Prabhakar hi khooni hai. Wo us aurat ko marne hi gaya hai. Hume use bachana hoga sir. Wo use maar dega." _Shreya said almost screaming._

"My God! Jaldi chalo!" _Abhijeet said and all rushed to Mrs Shreya Tiwari's flat in the opposite wing._

 _Here Prabhakar entered the house. The lady guided him to the bathroom._

"Bhaiya please dekho jara kya problem hai. Warna pure ghar me pani bhar jayega." _Shreya Tiwari said_.

"Ji abhi dekha hu. Bas 2 minute!" _Prabhakar said and opened his toolbox and took out some necessary tools like a saw, some bolts and screwdriver etc. He was moving but because of the watery floor he slipped and lost his balance. He fell on Shreya(Tiwari)._

 _She shouted landing on the floor with Prabhakar above her. Prabhakar's hands were on her upper body and this made her go mad. She jerked him and slapped him._

"Badtameej teri itni himmat. Tune mujhe touch kaise kiya!" _She shouted._

 _Prabhakar was holding his cheek._ "Dekhiye, maine jaan boojhkar nahi kiya. Galti se bas mera pair fisal gaya."

"Shut up! Tum jaise ghatiya logo ko achhe se janti hu main. Bas mauka chahte ho ki kisi bahane yaha waha hath lag jaye bas. Kamine kahi ke!" _She shouted._

 _Prabhakar was getting angry._ "Dekhiye aap gali mat deejiye. Maine kaha na galti se ho gaya. Jaban sambhal kar baat kariye."

"Tumhari itni himmat abhi mujhse bahas kar rahe ho. Nikal jao yaha se. Mujhe tumse koi kaam nahi karwana. Jao yaha se. 2 kaudi ke plumber mujhse jaban lada raha hai. Badtameej!" _The lady shouted._

 _Now it was enough for Prabhakar. He was holding the saw in his one hand and from another hand he grabbed her neck._ "Tujhe aurat samajh kar kuch bol nahi raha to tu bas bolti ja rahi hai han. Mujhe aurato ka unchi aawaj me baat karna bilkul pasand nahi."

 _She struggled under his grip and started screaming on top of her voice_. "Aaahh...bachao...koi hai.."

 _At the same time Shreya and Abhijeet arrived there followed by Nikhil and Rishi. They were shocked at the sight. Prabhakar was holding a saw in his hand and trying to throttle The lady._

 _The officers immediately took out their guns._

"Ruk jao Prabhakar, tumhara khel khatam. Chod do use!" _Shreya shouted._

"Bachao!" _The lady was screaming._

 _Nikhil and Rishi caught Prabhakar. Abhijeet slapped him._ "To Shreya ki baat sach nikli, tum hi wo khooni han."

"Khooni? Maine kiska khoon kiya saab?" _Prabhakar said bewildered._

"Chup karo!" _Shreya shouted._ "Humne apni ankho se dekha hai tumhe Shreya ji ko marne ki koshish karte huye. Ab jo bolna hai court me bolna."

 _Rishi took the saw from his hand_. "Sir ye saw bhi ekdum nayi hai aur usi company ki hai."

"Hmm...evidence bag me sambhal ke rakho ise!" _Abhijeet said observing the saw._

"Sir aap log kyun arrest kar rahe hain mujhe. Maine kuch nahi kiya hai." _Prabhakar pleaded._

"Har khooni yahi kehta hai." _Shreya said with a victorious grin._

"Arrest karo ise!" _Abhijeet ordered._ "Main bureau me inform kar deta hu." _Abhijeet said dialing the number._

o-o-o-o-o

"Ek minute Pankaj ye kya hai?" _Daya asked pointing towards a book fallen out of Rishi's drawer._

 _Pankaj grabbed the book and read the title._ "What's in a name!" _He turned to Daya,_ "Sir ye to ek suspense thriller based novel hai. Ye Rishi bhi na, ise novel padhne ka time kab milta hai!" _Pankaj said shaking his head._

 _But there was something that attracted Daya. It was a diagram of a hand saw stained with blood printed on the cover._

"Ek minute, jara dikhana!" _Daya asked for the novel. He was about to open the book when Abhijeet called him._

"Han Abhijeet kya hua?" _Daya asked receiving the call._

"Daya, Shreya ki baat sach thi. Wo Prabhakar hi khooni hai. Humne use range hatho pakda hai. Shreya ki society me ek aur Shreya naam ki aurat ko marne ki koshish kar raha tha. Humne use arrest kar liya hai aur bureau lekar aa rahe hain." _Abhijeet told._

"Oh great! Good job! Case is closed!" _Daya said happily._

"Han lekin wo confess nahi kar raha." _Abhijeet told._

"Are tum use bureau lekar to aao. Mere hath padte hi sab confess kar lega." _Daya said laughing._

"Ok!" _Abhijeet said laughing and cut the call._

 _Daya opened the book and started reading the summary._

o-o-o-o-o

"Sir aap log ise bureau lekar jaiye. Mere sar me thoda dard hai. Kal raat main theek se so nahi payi thi isliye. Main thodi der me aati hu. I need some rest." _Shreya said to Abhijeet._

"Sure! Tum rest karo." _Abhijeet said smiling and turned to Prabhakar._ "Hum ise bureau le jakar interrogate karte hain. Tabhi pata chalega ye sab ye kyun kar raha tha!"

 _Rishi and Nikhil were holding Prabhakar in their custody. He was pleading but nobody was listening to him. They put him in the car and drove away. They had come just a few meters away when Rishi asked Nikhil to stop the car._

"Kya hua?" _Abhijeet asked._

"Sir wo main Shreya ke ghar par apna cellphone bhool aaya hu. Meri maa baar baar phone karti rehti hai to main bas phone wapas lekar aata hu. Aap log ise bureau lekar jaiye." _Rishi said getting out of the car._

"Ok!" _Abhijeet said and asked Nikhil to drive._

 _Nobody noticed that Rishi got down the car holding the evidence bag containing the murder weapon; the saw. He made his way towards Shreya's house._

o-o-o-o-o

 _Here Daya was reading the summary and with every passing line his eyes were widening. His breath got hitched._ "My god!" _He mumbled with sweat beads appearing on his forehead._

 _He closed the book and dialed Abhijeet's number._

"Hello Abhijeet!"

"Han Daya hum bas pahuch hi rahe hain Prabhakar ko lekar." _Abhijeet said._

"Pehle ye batao kya Rishi tumhare sath hai?" _Daya asked restlessly._

"Nahi actually wo apna cellphone bhool gaya tha Shreya ke ghar pe to wahi lene gaya hai. Thodi der me aa jayega. Aur Shreya bhi ghar pe hi ruk gayi hai. She was not feeling well." _Abhijeet described._

"Damn!" _Daya banged his fist on the table_ , "Abhijeet asli khooni Prabhakar nahi Rishi hai. Wo Shreya ko marne ke liye hi wapas gaya hai. Please stop him!"

 _Abhijeet was confused._ "Rishi khooni hai? Ye kya bol rahe ho tum Daya?"

 _Daya gritted his teeth running outside._ "Wo main tumhe phone par nahi explain kar sakta. Please wapas jao Abhijeet. Shreya ki jaan khatre me hai. Hum log bhi aa rahe hain."

"Oh no!" _Abhijeet said sighing,_ "Nikhil jaldi se gadi reverse karo. Shreya ki jaan khatre me hai."

 _Nikhil immediately turned the steering._

 _Sachin, Pankaj and Purvi all were confused but they followed Daya and rushed to Shreya's place._

o-o-o-o-o

 _Shreya was having a headache. She swallowed a tablet and was moving upstairs to her bedroom when her feet stopped on hearing the doorbell._

"Ab kaun aa gaya!" _Shreya said annoyingly holding her head and moved to open the door._

 _She opened the door and found Rishi in front of her. He was smiling at her with a strange glint in his eyes._

"Rishi tum? Kya hua tum wapas kyun aa gaye?" _Shreya asked looking puzzled._

 _Rishi pushed her and barged in. He shut the door behind him._

 _Shreya was unable to understand anything_. "Ye kya kar rahe ho tum Rishi?"

"Rishi nahi Prateek!" _Rishi said laughing evilly and took out the saw holding in his hand behind his back._

 _Shreya stepped back totally flabbergasted._ "Rishi ye kya majak hai? murder weapon tumhare paas kya kar raha hai? Ise evidence bag me rakho."

 _Rishi moved his fingers on the teeth of the saw checking its sharpness. He stared at Shreya._ "Bahut shauk hai tumhe challenge karne ka. Agar khooni ne tumhe nahi mara to tum use maar dogi? Yahi kaha tha na. Main hu wo khooni. Lo aa gaya main tumhare samne. Maro mujhe!"

 _Shreya gasped in shock_. "Rishi ye kya bol rahe ho tum?"

"Rishi nahi Prateek naam hai mera. Aur main tumse aur tumhare naam se nafrat karta hu. Ab tumhe mere hath se koi nahi bacha sakta!" _He said and grabbed her arm._

 _Shreya just punched him and gave him a hefty shove in his chest. He nearly fell. She ran to find her gun. Rishi quickly jumped and caught her foot making her to fall down. Shreya made her efforts to free her foot from his grip and kicked him with her another leg. She screamed and started running away. Rishi also stood up and moved behind her. He caught her hair and hit her head to the wall. Shreya screamed holding her head. Her vision got blurred. Rishi grabbed the saw and was about to attack on her when Shreya punched him with all her strength. Rishi fell down. Shreya ran. Rishi started chasing her madly holding the saw._

 _Shreya's head was bleeding and she was almost clueless. All she knew that she is going to die. She ran into kitchen followed by Rishi. She started throwing the utensils, crockery and anything coming in her hand on Rishi._

 _Suddenly her foot twisted and she fell down. Rishi laughed and came near her._

 _It was turning all dark in front of her eyes. She was wincing in pain and crying._ "Kyun kar rahe ho tum aisa?"

 _Rishi looked at the saw and then at her face_ , "Tum kya karogi jaan kar tum to marne wali ho. Tumhara naam Shreya nahi hota to main tumhe kabhi nahi Marta. You are a brilliant cop. But your name is Shreya and I don't like it. You have to die!" _Rishi said and put the saw on her neck. Shreya felt helpless. She has no strength in her body to reciprocate and defend herself. She closed her eyes accepting her death._

 _Rishi was about to splinter her neck with the sharp toothed saw when suddenly the door was broke opened and a bullet shot Rishi in his back._

 _Rishi still didn't loosen the grip on the weapon. He was still glaring on almost lifeless Shreya._

 _Sachin, Abhijeet and all rushed to him and took him in custody. He was being out of control. He was screaming in dissatisfaction and frustration of not being able to kill Shreya._

"Shreyaaa...Shreya..." _Daya rushed to her screaming out her name. He put her head in his lap patting her cheeks. But she was not responding._ "Shreya aankhe kholo!" _Daya shouted holding her in his lap. Hearing his voice Shreya slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. She was pleased to see him in this moment. She just hugged him tightly and started crying._

 _Daya secured her in his arms_. "Relax Shreya relax! Kuch nahi hoga. Relax!" _He said patting her bleeding head._

 _Shreya sobbed wetting his shirt near his chest and tightened her grip on his back. Daya was also not bothered to separate her from the hug. He understood her condition that how much she needed this comforting hug from him at the moment. He held her near his heart. She again became unconscious hugging Daya_.

o-o-o-o-o

 _Shreya was sitting with a bandage on her head. Rishi was sent behind the bars. Daya was explaining how he got to know about Rishi being the real culprit._

"Sir, Rishi is suffering from a rare type of personality disorder. Us din uski ma ne hume uski bimari ke bare me bataya. Uske thodi der baad hi mujhe uski drawer se ye novel mili." _He said showing the novel entitled_ _"what's in a name!"_

"Iske cover ne mujhe attract kiya kyunki ispe ek saw ka diagram tha. Maine book khola aur puri novel padhne ka time to tha nahi to maine summary padhna shuru kiya." _Daya said and turned to Shreya_ , "aur pata hai mujhe kya pata chala? This novel is about a poor man Prateek who is a plumber by profession. Uski girlfriend ka naam Shreya tha. Jab us ladki ko pata chala ki jisse wo pyar karti hai wo sirf ek mamuli sa plumber hai to usne use ditch kar diya aur kisi rich ladke ke paas chali gayi. Prateek ye dhoka bardasht nahi kar saka. Wo Shreya se nafrat karne laga aur usne use marne ki kasam kha li. He killed her. Lekin usko marne ke baad wo pagal sa ho gaya. Jab bhi kisi aur ladki ka naam Shreya, sunta to use apni girlfriend ki yaad aa jati aur wo nafrat aur gusse me pagal ho jata. Use iss naam se bhi nafrat ho gayi. Ab wo har us ladki ko jaan se marne laga jiska naam Shreya hota tha." _Daya finished and took a deep breath._ "Jab Rishi ne ye novel padhi to wahi hua jo uske sath bachpan me hota tha. Wo is kahani me kho gaya aur khud ko Prateek samajhane laga aur theek usi terah se ladkiyon ka khoon karne laga jaise ki novel wala Prateek karta tha."

 _Shreya was lost in her thoughts_. "Aur isiliye jab wo mujhse pehli baar mila to mera naam sunte hi uske andar Prateek jaag gaya aur nafrat ki wajeh se usne mere upar garama garam coffee gira di kyunki wo sabke samne mera khoon to kar nahi sakta tha."

 _Acp Pradyuman sighed_. "Hmm...Rishi ki treatment complete nahi hui thi. Use abhi bhi doctor ki jarurat hai." _He turned to Shreya,_ "lekin humare liye sabse achhi baat ye hai ki Shreya tum safe ho."

 _Shreya cried_ , "Lekin sir main to Prabhakar ko khooni samajh rahi thi."

 _Abhijeet smiled,_ "All credit goes to Daya. Agar use sahi waqt par Rishi ke bare me nahi pata chalta to shayad... Hum sahi waqt par nahi pahuch pate!"

 _Daya moved to Acp Pradyuman and hugged him. All were surprised._

"Thank you sir!" _Daya said,_ "Agar aapne mujhe Shreya ke sath jane se roka nahi hota to main bureau me nahi rukta aur na hi wo book padh pata aur na hi Rishi ka sach jaan pata aur na hi Shreya ki jaan bacha pata." _He said looking at Shreya._

 _Shreya had tears in her eyes_. "Sir thank you so much! Thanks to all of you. I am so lucky to have all of you in my life. Jo mujhse itna pyar karte hain meri itni fikar karte hain. Agar aap sab log sahi waqt par nahi pahuchate to main...aaj yaha sahi salamat nahi khadi hoti." _She sobbed._

"Oh come on Shreya. Ab rona band karo. Aur hume nahi Daya ko thank you bolo." _Abhijeet said and playfully pushed her towards Daya._

 _Shreya dashed with Daya and everyone laughed. Shreya looked up at him shyly and whispered,_ "Thank you!"

.

.

 **The End**

 **A/N:** Proofreading is not done. Kindly digest the errors if any, :-)


End file.
